On Friday, an announcement was made by Singapore Telecommunications under which it confirmed that it will commence selling the HTC Dream or Google mobile phone in Singapore from 21st February. This will make Singapore the second market in Asia to witness their launch.

Since the HTC phone comes with preloaded software such as Google Web Search, Gmail and Google Calendar, it is more commonly known as Google phone. Via this new phone, SingTel will also provide subscribers with video-on-demand content.

Singapore - Singapore share prices fell 2.11 per cent

Singapore  - The first man in Singapore to be sentenced for having sex with an underage prostitute under a tougher law had his one-year jail term reduced Friday to nine months on appeal, media reports said.

In December, a district court had initially sentenced the 55-year-old man to one year in jail for having sex with a 16-year-old prostitute.

Singapore  - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long said the city-state's financial system must remain open to the world although the presence of foreign banks poses potential risks in the current economic downturn.

"While we take reasonable safeguards, we must stay open to the world," Lee said Thursday night at a dinner to celebrate Standard Chartered Bank's 150th anniversary in Singapore. "Walling ourselves in does not mean that we would be safe; it just means we will starve."

Singapore - Singapore Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said Wednesday that worldwide security is threatened by the effects of the global economic downturn, piracy, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Natural disasters and pandemics are now compounded and made more acute by the severe economic crisis the world is facing, Teo added.

Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference in Singapore, Teo said the full impact of the downturn has yet to unfold. Hardships like rising numbers of job losses would create additional social and political stress, and, if not managed properly, could lead to greater friction and tensions between nations.

Singapore - Singapore police arrested 16 people suspected of engaging in illegal bookmaking and loansharking during an island-wide operation this week, Singapore police reported on Wednesday.

Investigators said they seized 730,000 Singapore dollars (477,000 US dollars) in cash from the suspects.

The arrested, including six women, are between 29 to 45 years old. Police suspect them to be involved in a crime syndicate.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate members operated an illegal soccer bookmaking business via the Internet. Some members of the syndicate were also involved in illegal loansharking activities, police said.